1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for rolling rod-shaped steel or other kind of metal by passing the material through a rolling device while moving the material in the horizontal direction and a method for rolling such material by using the rolling apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the well-known methods of making rod-shaped material into a desired section (i.e., section steel or the like) or wire rod is as follows: A rod material is allowed to move along a conveyor line and pass through between a pair of rolls which are rotatably supported in parallel with each other and each of which is provided with a plurality of grooves of different depths at the circumference thereof so that each pair of corresponding grooves of the rolls provide a shape groove (so called "caliber") to allow the material to pass therethrough. After the first rolling operation has been made in this way, the material is then received by a rotating device which has its central point of rotation in the conveyor line and rotates the material at 90.degree. or other required angle. The material is then again allowed to pass through between the rolls which have been ready for receiving the material at a caliber different from that employed for previously receiving the material. Such a series of operations are repeated a number of times until a desired section is obtained.
Where the conventional type of rotating device is employed in such rolling operation, however, the need to pass the material with strict accuracy through the central point of rotation of the rotating device occasions some difficulty.
In addition, since the conventional type of rotating device is designed to rotate the material while supporting the whole weight thereof, a greater motive power is required for rotating the material.